Tesshu Yamask, who became Emperor Meiji's secretary and one of the founders of modern kendo, was born in Edo (Tokyo) into a samurai family in 1836 under the name Tetsutaro Ono. Already as a child he discovered great abilities for calligraphy and fencing, and from the age of 13 he joined his father in his daily zazen sessions. At the age of 17, he began to study the art of kendo and sojutsu (wielding a long spear) from famous masters: Susaki Chiba and Seidan Yamask. After the latter's sudden death, he married his younger sister and was adopted into the Yamask family.
Young Yamaskeo was distinguished by great strength, height, weight, and very soon became the most respected student in the Chiba dojo. One day, the famous sword master Jimei Azari came to Edo, and the determined Yamaské challenged him to a duel. After a long struggle, Yamask, using his physical advantages, knocked his opponent to the ground. After that, they sat down facing each other, and Azari asked: “What do you think about our fight?” Yamasuke replied, “It was a difficult fight, but fortunately I won.” “That’s not true,” answered Azari, “before I was on the ground, I passed through your defense and struck you in the chest.” And indeed, three bamboo tread strips were broken. Yamasuke refused to believe it, but eventually realized that he was defeated. According to custom, he became a student of the master who defeated him.
While training with Azari, Yamask became convinced of his strength. It was impossible to force him to retreat or impose defensive tactics. His body was like a rock, and his terrifying gaze never left his opponent's face. Azari's kiai (spiritual power) was too much for Yamasuke to handle. For many years, when Yamask closed his eyes, he seemed to see the teacher’s sword smashing.
Troubled by this constant vision, Yamaské sought help from a Zen master in Kyoto, who gave him a koan, a traditional type of riddle that Zen monks gave to students to create the conditions for “breaking through” ordinary consciousness and achieving a state of insight. This koan read: When two flaming swords meet, There is nowhere to run, Move! Move! Like a lotus flower blooming in a roaring flame, Fill yourself with divine power! For more than 17 years, amid his triumphant political career, Yamasuke could not solve this problem, although he subjected his body and mind to extreme tests, pushing himself to the limit in everything he did. Finally, at the age of 45, in the early morning of March 30, 1880, during zazen, the meaning of the koan was unexpectedly revealed to him. He lost his sense of time and space, and Azari's menacing sword disappeared. This was the state of “no enemy” that the mentor often spoke about.
The next morning, when Yamask arrived at the dojo, Azari immediately saw a huge change. And one of the students, about to engage in a duel with him, suddenly threw away his sword and exclaimed: “Sensei, please stop!” “Why?” asked Yamask. “I have trained with you for many years,” the student replied, “but I have never felt such a terrifying presence.”
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru